Netanyahu aims to ease Likud political fight

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is considering changing the rules inside his Likud party in order to enable more of the party's current ministers and MKs to make the next Knesset, sources close to Netanyahu said Wednesday.

According to the party's current rules, the 27 Likud MKs must compete for the first 19 slots on the party's Knesset slate. The next dozen slots are reserved for new candidates representing different regions and sectors.

The Likud central committee will meet next Wednesday at the Tel Aviv Fairgrounds for a convention that will decide the date for the Likud primary and what changes should be made to the system for deciding the party's candidates. Netanyahu associates said he may decide to start the reserved slots later on the list or to have fewer regions and sectors to make it easier for ministers and MKs to get re-elected.